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Alex McKinney tapped to be new Washington County parks director

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:13 GMT

Ask Alex McKinney, Washington County’s new parks director, to rank the county’s parks against one another – and he’ll politely decline the request.“I can’t pick a favorite,” said McKinney, who was named to the position in June after serving as interim parks director since March. “But I can give a shout out to a few of them.”Alex McKinney cross-country skiing in Lake Elmo Park Reserve. (Courtesy of Washington County Public Works)Somewhere near the top of the list would be Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park, a 515-acre space that features hills and heavily wooded ravines with occasional clearings of old field and prairie. “You’re in Cottage Grove, and you turn in the park, and you go down this steep ravine, and there’s this beautiful lake at the bottom,” he said. “You’re surrounded by these oak/maple forests and, in the fall, it’s absolutely beautiful.”The 2,165-acre Lake Elmo Park Reserve is “one of the gemstones” of the county parks system, according to McKinney. “It’s mostly ...

Storms brought damage but needed rain. Thursday will bring dangerous heat in the Twin Cities.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:13 GMT

Severe storms overnight produced winds in excess of 70 mph across a swath of western and central Minnesota, downing trees and power lines.Xcel Energy, Otter Tail Power and other Minnesota utilities reported more than 15,000 homes and businesses were without power across the state as of 8:45 a.m. Wednesday.The National Weather Service received reports of large trees and power poles snapped in New London as a line of storms — a “bow echo” on radar — passed through about 11 p.m. Tuesday. There also were reports of pontoon boats flipped over.In an update posted midmorning Wednesday, fire officials in New London urged people to conserve water due to ongoing power outages in the community.Wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph were reported near Belgrade around 11 p.m. Tuesday.The Belgrade/Brooten Police Department reported that public works and fire crews were out clearing storm debris from streets in those communities Wednesday morning. The department reported damage to power poles and lines in the...

Lawmakers fight over solutions to post-pandemic learning loss

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:13 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — As students grapple with the long-lasting impacts of pandemic school shutdowns, lawmakers are looking to help kids get back on track. They held a hearing on Wednesday focused on COVID learning loss. Almost immediately the division between parties was clear. While Democrats argue the school shutdowns were a necessity, Republicans disagree. They say classrooms were forced to stay closed for far too long.  Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "If we would have kept schools open more, people would have died due to COVID," Congressman Jamaal Bowman said. "We must demand accountability for those responsible. We must decentralize the decision-making power for education in this country and above all that means school choice," Congressman Aaron Bean said. Bean says the pandemic demonstrated the need to give parents more of a say. He believes the federal government should focus their i...

UFO whistleblower makes explosive claims, but wary of divulging details

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:13 GMT

WASHINGTON -- Former intelligence official David Grusch made far-reaching claims about possible U.S. government cover-ups of contact with UFOs and non-human pilots in a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on Wednesday.But Grusch could not offer any hard evidence to substantiate his claims — largely due to his fears of prosecution for sharing classified data in a public setting, he told Congress.“As a former intelligence officer, I go to jail for revealing classified information,” he told the members. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Lawmakers on the national security subcommittee noted that evasion is not the same thing as Grusch admitting he doesn’t have proof. “We should remind viewers and witnesses — and I think is really important — that we also cannot share classified information in public settings,” Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said.Members repeatedly complained that they had been denied access to a secure...

Scary moment for McConnell raises questions for GOP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:13 GMT

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is helped by Senators and staff after McConnell unexpectedly pauses while speaking to reporters after the weekly policy luncheon on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Greg Nash)Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) froze in front of television cameras for about 20 seconds Wednesday as he battled a bout of lightheadedness that forced him to walk away briefly from a press conference.The scary moment, which prompted members of his leadership team to suggest that he take a rest, raises new questions about the 81-year-old Republican leader’s future.  “Are you good, Mitch?” asked Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairwoman Joni Ernst (Iowa), putting her hand on the back of his arm.  Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (Wyo.), who is a doctor, ushered McConnell away from the podium after the leader was unable to get more than a couple of sentences into his opening statement.  “Let’s go back to y...

Cardinals overpower Diamondbacks with 5 home runs in 11-7 victory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:13 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Nolan Gorman hit two of St. Louis’ five home runs in the Cardinals' 11-7 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.Gorman connected leading off the second against All-Star starter Zac Gallen, then hit a two-run blast to dead center in the eighth off Scott McGough. Gorman has two multi-homer games this season and 22 homers on the season.Lars Nootbaar, Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Knizner also homered to give the Cardinals the series victory over the slumping Diamondbacks, who have lost six of seven and are 3-9 since the All-Star break.Andre Pallante (3-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief of Jack Flaherty, who made his final start for the Cardinals before the trade deadline Tuesday.Flaherty, who will be a free agent after the season, pitched five-plus innings, allowing eight hits and three runs. He walked two and struck out four.Gallen (11-5) lost for the first time at home in 11 starts this season. He pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing five runs, seven hits and two...

Want to see Pat Benatar at the Colorado State Fair? Until today, you had to buy lottery tickets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:13 GMT

Pat BenatarLegendary rocker Pat Benatar and her husband Neil Giraldo are headlining the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo over Labor Day weekend.But until Wednesday, fans couldn’t purchase actual tickets for the show.That’s because the Sept. 3 concert is being sponsored by the Colorado Lottery. Instead of purchasing a ticket, fans were required to buy at least $30 in Powerball, Mega Millions, Colorado Lotto+ or Lucky for Life slips. Without buying lottery tickets, would-be concertgoers were out of luck.But lottery officials backpedaled Wednesday afternoon after The Denver Post relayed concerns from gambling awareness organizations, who expressed outrage over how this tactic might impact those battling addiction. Earlier in the day, a lottery spokesperson defended the practice, saying the organization had sponsored concerts at the State Fair for years.Now, though, people interested in attending Benatar’s show without playing the lottery will be able to purchase $45 tick...

Conservative group sues Colorado House, Senate, alleging internal voting system breaks state law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:13 GMT

A conservative group is suing the Colorado House and Senate, plus their Democratic leadership and three lawmakers, for allegedly violating the state’s transparency law via the use of an internal voting system to rank Democratic legislators’ budgetary priorities.The suit, announced Wednesday, was filed by the Public Trust Institute, a conservative nonprofit, and David Fornof, a Douglas County resident who’s being represented by the conservative Advance Colorado Institute. The suit accuses the Democratic members of the state House and Senate of breaking the state’s open-meeting law by using a “quadratic voting system” that allows legislators to privately rank legislation that will require state money. The practice, reported by KUNC earlier this year, lets Democratic lawmakers internally prioritize how to spend limited state funding on their various bills, which can then influence what bills are passed, pared back or shelved entirely.Using a digital ...

Jeffco sheriff seeking man accused of sexually assaulting female hikers while naked

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:13 GMT

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man who has sexually assaulted and harassed several women on open space trails while naked in multiple incidents.The assailant has targeted women who are hiking alone in the Conifer and Evergreen areas, according to a sheriff’s office news release.“Deputies have taken seven reports to-date, where a male suspect has confronted lone female hikers along trails in Flying J Ranch Park and one incident at Alderfer Three Sisters Park,” the release stated.The first incident was on April 3 when the naked man groped the victim. On June 13, the sexual predator confronted another victim, while masturbating, and his crimes are becoming more aggressive. On July 18 the man victimized three women on the same day, fondling two of them. On July 24 he attacked a woman, attempting to rip off her clothing, the sheriff’s office said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Colorado victims of childhood sex ab...

Quick exit for Team Colorado at The Basketball Tournament

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:13 GMT

Team Colorado waited four years to return to The Basketball Tournament. The Buffaloes basketball alums will have to wait at least one more year to take part in another game.The reunion of the former CU players proved to be a short one, as Team Colorado was eliminated with a 70-68 first-round loss against Men of Mackey in Dayton on Wednesday. Four years after Team Colorado’s most recent TBT appearance and now a full seven years since the program nearly pocketed the $1 million winner-take-all jackpot in the 2016 final, a revamped, younger Team Colorado will have no other option but to wait for next year.TBT utilizes the Elam Ending, which sets a winning target score at eight points ahead of the leading team’s total at the first dead ball with under four minutes remaining. Team Colorado was leading 61-59 at the time, setting the winning target at 69 points.The game was tied at 66 and again at 68, setting up a next-basket-wins finale. Team Colorado was undone by a little bad luck, as Me...